The Horrible truth
by Kyokukou
Summary: Ranma never backs down from a challenge. Ranma never admits his love to Akane. What if someone took both constants and played them against Ranma?


The Horrible Truth  
  
By Kyokukou  
  
  
" You don't have the guts , Saotome ." She chuckled , he was so predictable   
, so easily manipulated .  
" You calln' me a cowered ?!" Ranma was on his feet before she could blink ,   
fists clenched , fire in his eyes .   
She yawned .   
" You said it , not me ." She said lazily . " I just said that I don't think you   
have the guts to tell Akane how you truly feel about her ."  
" Oh yeah ?!" He challenged . Ever so predictable . Now she'll wring him for   
every yen to his name , and then some .  
" Yeah ." She smiled her predator smile . " Double your debt to me says you'll   
chicken out at the moment of truth ."   
" You're on !" He snapped before the ramifications hit him harder than Akane's   
infamous Mallet of Doom(tm) . " W-wait a second , what if Oyaji or your dad   
hears me ?"  
" Your problem ." She smirked , leaving the room quickly .  
  
* * *  
  
He had spent the entire day meditating on his current and massive dilemma .   
Either go ahead with the bet , or forfeit and double his debt .  
First of all he had searched his feelings . Turns out there was a lot of   
junk there he had not been completely aware of . However , as he had suspected ,   
he did love Akane , despite all reason and self preservation . So if he did go   
through with the bet he would have to confess his love to her . Damn .  
The next problem had been how to do so and survive the after effects . Every   
fiancée he had and some rivals would be out for his head . So he had   
systematically planned for dealing with each one .   
Ucchan . She would be hard . He would have to walk the emotional tightrope   
of hammering into her that he would still be her best friend , but at the same   
time maintaining that his romantic love was for Akane and not her . It was a   
good possibility that Ucchan would lose it and attack him . In that event he   
would have to disable her without hurting her . Most likely the best solution   
would be to take out her main weapon and let her expend her throwing spatulas .   
Hopefully it wouldn't come to that .  
Shampoo . Both the young Amazon and her great grandmother would be very   
dangerous after the news reached them . It is quite likely that the matriarch   
could manipulate the young girl's hurt emotions into a murderous rage and turn   
her back to her original course of murdering him to avenge her honor . Damn ,   
again . No choice but to fight , however survival would be a problem if the old   
Ghoul got physically involved .  
Kodachi . 'Hello my sweet black rose ! Here , see these nice men in white .   
They have pills that will make the voices quiet . If you would just follow them   
everything will be fine...'  
Ryouga . Simple , very simple . Hit him once real hard in the face then run   
around a corner and hide for five minuets . Repeat five days later , or as   
needed .  
But what if Akane heard his confession and spurned him ? Told him she hated   
him ? What could he do then , to save honor and face ? Run off with Ucchan . He   
would be fulfilling the betrothal to her family and making Ucchan happy . He may   
not love her in that way now , but what better foundation for a marriage than   
your best friend ? Still ... he could find little comfort in that contingency   
plan . Ucchan would be nice , but could he ever really be happy ?  
He continued to plan on into the night . However , the feeling he was   
forgetting to plan for some obvious event haunted him .  
  
* * *  
  
She felt more than heard Ranma enter the room . The determination that   
radiated from him was almost tangible in the air . Suddenly she feared for her   
finances , Ranma's debt was substantial , double it was ... oh dear .  
" Akane ?" Ranma's voice shook ever so slightly . He looked about for any sign   
of either of their fathers . There was none .  
Her hand itched to reach for her ledger .  
" What now ?" Akane looked up , rather annoyed at being interrupted in the   
middle of a new manga .  
Ranma stood there , transfixed for a moment at the sight of Akane's flashing   
eyes . For that moment she felt a pang of intense jealousy . She had never felt   
more than a mild fondness for any boy . Here her little sister had done her   
damnedest to run the guy off and he still remained loyal . Could she ever find   
someone like that ? No , no one for the ice queen .  
" A-Akane ." He began , taking a deep breath to fortify his determination . " I   
have something important to tell you ."  
" Could you make it quick ?" Akane said without heat , confused by Ranma's   
behavior .  
" Will you please , just this once , listen to me ?" Ranma said carefully .  
" Sure ." Akane agreed just as carefully , wary now . a  
" Akane , I swear on my honor that this is the truth ." Ranma swallowed .  
Stalling , stalling , he'll chicken out yet .   
" Akane , I love you , and I want our engagement to work ."  
At the thought of just how sizeable a chunk this would take out of her   
personal funds she wanted to scream or faint . Instead , she waited for her   
little sister's reaction .  
Akane looked up at Ranma with an expression akin to disbelieving awe . The   
manga fell from limp fingers , forgotten and unimportant .  
Ranma looked like a man hanging from a cliff , his survival dependent upon   
the next sentence from Akane's lips .  
" Ranma . I-I ... I love you too ." Akane stammered out , tears of joy welling   
up in her eyes .  
The young martial artist had been pulled back from the cliff's edge . He   
threw his arms wide open to embrace his beloved in celebration of this overdue   
revelation . He didn't move fast enough .  
" YATTAAA , TENDO-KUN !!" Genma shouted .  
" YATTAAA , SAOTOME-KUN !!" Soun returned .  
Their fathers had appeared between the couple as if by magic . Genma   
thumping Ranma on the back and shouting incoherent congratulations . Soun had   
picked Akane up under the shoulders and was spinning about in place weeping for   
joy .  
" Now wait just one second !" Ranma shouted loud enough to make both madly   
celebrating men freeze . " Akane and I will get married when WE want to !"  
Genma clapped a cloth over Ranma's mouth and nose .   
" That's what you think , boy ." Genma chuckled .  
Ranma's eyes rolled back in his head as the chemical musk overcame him . He   
collapsed into his father's arms .  
" Ranma !!" Akane cried in alarm before a similar cloth was pressed over her   
mouth .  
" Oh how it pains me to do this to my poor Akane !" Soun wept , cradling the   
unconscious form of his youngest daughter .  
" I didn't see a thing for half of the wedding gift money ." She shrugged .  
  
* * *  
  
He couldn't believe it . Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine his   
father and Soun being competent enough to pull off what they had just done .  
Honor was satisfied , their confessions of love having absolved their   
fathers of guilt in their actions , at least according to their fathers' strange   
sense of honor . After the original drug had worn off they had already been   
inoculated with a potion procured from Mousse who had stolen it from Cologne in   
order to aid his marriage to Akane . The potion had put them in a malleable   
state , he doubted Akane even had the fortitude to be conscious enough in that   
state to remember the events when she finally woke up .  
This time it had been a traditional Shinto wedding at the shrine in relative   
secret . This time Soun and Genma had called in some of their old martial arts   
buddies from their adventurous days to guard the shrine long enough for the   
wedding to go through . He had heard some commotion outside during the latter   
half of the long ceremony but nothing had interrupted it's completion .  
After the ceremony Soun had rushed out to file their marriage . Well before   
he was able to move his hands of his own violation his marriage to Akane was   
official .   
So now he found himself in Akane's room , about six newly installed titanium   
locks on the door and window augmented by two fathers watching the window   
keeping him confined in the room . Akane lay on her bed , now naturally asleep ,   
having never woken fully since she had first been drugged . He sat on the floor   
by the bed pondering how changed his life now was .  
Time seemed to race through the night until the hour wavered between the   
dead of night and the morning of a new day .  
Feeling his body protest it's long motionless period he stretched and   
rose . Following the arc of moonlight mingled with the city's artificial glare   
he looked on the face of his new wife .   
Searching his feelings he found joy mingled with regret . He loved his wife   
and despite the problems certain to come he was happy to be married to the woman   
he loved . However , he regretted that it had not been their time of choice .   
Someone had once said the truth will set you free . No , it won't . One is a   
slave to the horrible truth just as much as a well woven lie .  
Still , looking upon the peaceful face of his beloved eased his heart and   
his mind . Tomorrow would see his life much more interesting than before .  
Now , surviving that interesting new day would be the tricky part .   
  
  
  
  
(With an ending like that don'cha just want ta kill me ?)  
  
  
  
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